1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to vehicle seats for infants and children and more particularly, to an infant car seat which is characterized by a support hingedly attached to a frame located in the backrest of either a bucket seat or a bench seat in an automobile or other vehicle and designed to support an infant or child when in extended configuration. The infant seat support is also designed to recess into the backrest of the automobile seat when the infant seat is not in use, in order to accomodate an adult in conventional fashion. The infant seat is fitted with a pair of flexible, parallel side flaps for stabilizing the head and shoulders of an infant and with crotch and shoulder straps extending from anchor points at the vehicle frame and the folding support, for securing the infant firmly yet comfortably in position on the folding support.
One of the problems associated with the use of portable seats and similar structures known as "car seats" for carrying infants and children in vehicles, is that of properly supporting and stabilizing the seats on the front or rear seats of a vehicle. Typically, straps, bars, belts, harnesses and restrainsts of various description are used to engage the vehicle seats and the infant car seat in order to immobilize or at least partially stabilize the infant car seats, such that children can be placed in, transported, and removed from the seats at the convenience of their parents or custodian with at least some degree of security. A disadvantage found in infant car seats and carriers of this design is the requirement of periodically tightening the straps or harnesses to secure the seats in place and subsequently loosening the restraints to remove the seats when it is desired to provide room for one or more additional adults. Furthermore, under circumstances of severe braking or acceleration of the vehicle, the straps and securing harnesses of the infant car seat or carrier sometimes work loose and allow the seat to fall forward or sideways while the vehicle is in motion, sometimes resulting in injury to the infant or child. This problem is intensified under circumstances where the straps or harnesses are periodically loosened to remove the carrier from the vehicle. The problem has become so acute that legislation requiring that children and infants be secured in a properly designed infant car seat or carrier has recently been enacted. The laws and regulations for vehicle or infant car seats or carriers for children prescribe several features which have long been regarded as necessary. These features include a secure anchor to the frame of the car, a secure guard or harness encircling the child's upper body and a guard or harness positioned to receive the impact of the child's face in the event of rapid deceleration. These special features have proved to be disadvantageous, from a design standpoint, in that they mandate the design of a cumbersome and bulky carrier seat which is awkward to handle between use, either occupying space on the seat of the vehicle or requiring storage in the trunk or at some other location in the vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of removable or foldable vehicle seats are known in the art. Among these is the "Infants Convertible Seat and Bed," disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,584,481, dated Feb. 5, 1952, to G. M. Mast, et, al. This patent details an attachment for an adult vehicle seat which attachment includes, in foldable position, a part of the adult seat backrest and in extended position, constitutes a chair for an infant. The chair includes a seat portion, a back portion and arm rests which, when folded, occupy positions at the sides of the seat portion to complete the back portion of the adult seat. The seat portion includes a main supporting shaft, about the axis of which the infant seat turns with arms pivotedly mounted on the shaft at one end and the arm rests centrally and pivotedly connected at the second end of the arms. The arm rests are also slidably and pivotedly connected at one end to the adult seat back, in order to facilitate folding of the structure with the arm rests beside the infant seat, wherein the seat forms a part of the adult seat back. An "Automobile Seat and Cradle" is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,966,201, dated Dec. 27, 1960, to L. W. Strahler. The Strahler patent discloses a folding member which is designed to recess in the backrest of a conventional automobile seat when not in functional use as a seat or cradle. When the folding member is pivoted into extended configuration outwardly of the seat back rest and resting on the bench seat, it is designed to receive an infant and is provided with straps for holding the infant inside a cradle cavity formed therein. When not in use, the pivoting cradle seat is folded upwardly into the automobile backrest to accomodate an adult in conventional fashion, U.S. Pat. No. 4,533,176, dated Aug. 6, 1985, to Bill Wyttenbach, entitled "Built-In Automatic Infant Restraint Seat" discloses a combination child seat and adult seat for use in a vehicle. The infant seat of this invention includes a vehicle seat, a backrest frame and a hinged contact portion pivotally secured to the backrest frame for receiving and contacting the body of a seated adult. Also included is a child seat which is hinged to the backrest frame between the backrest frame and the contact portion. A restraining bar or belt is attached to the child seat and extends to the backrest frame, and the child seat is foldable to a first position wherein the restraining members and the child seat are concealed by the contact portion of the seat. The vehicle seat is suitable for occupancy by an adult while the child seat is in this position. The child seat is also movable to a second position where it is accessible and available for use by a small child and the restraining bars or belts are suitable for restraining a child in the child seat against substantial impact forces. A "Convertible Seat For Vehicles" is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,540,216, dated Sept. 10, 1985, to Karl D. Hassle, Sr. The Hassle convertible seat is foldable and located within a conventional vehicle seat backrest in a vehicle, providing the usual seat appearance in a first configuration. When the convertible seat is unfolded, it provides a simply constructed child safety seat within the adult seating area and incorporates several safety features for protecting a child seated therein.
Another problem associated with conventional infant and child car seats and particularly, those infant car seats which are built into existing automobile bench or bucket seats, is complexity in design, which frequently results in a bulky seat design which is difficult to use. Still another problem is a lack of facility for using the automobile seat for both adult seating and child seating as necessary. Yet another problem realized in many of the convertible infant and child car seats known in the art is the lack of facility for using these seats to seat infants or very small children who do not yet possess full muscle control and must therefore normally be placed in an infant seat of more elaborate design, for security.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved child or infant seat for automobiles, which seat is capable of extension from the automobile seat backrest to receive a small infant or child and retraction in the backrest when not in use, to facilitate seating of an adult in conventional fashion.
Another object of this invention is to provide a simple and yet functional infant seat for automobiles, which seat is pivotedly attached to the backrest of a conventional automobile bench or bucket seat and is provided with side flaps for stabilizing an infant or child while the infant is strapped in the seat in deployed configuration. The infant seat is capable of being folded into the backrest when not is use, to accomodate an adult in conventional fashion.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved infant seat for automobiles, which seat is foldable on a frame into the backrest of a bucket or bench seat in an automobile when not in use and is characterized by a folding support, shoulder and crotch straps, side flaps and an alternative back support flap for supporting an infant and securing the infant in a sitting position while travelling.